A Horse Wrangler for Christmas Read online

  A Horse Wrangler for Christmas

  Book 30

  Spinster Mail-Order Brides

  Cheryl Wright

  Copyright

  A HORSE WRANGLER FOR CHRISTMAS

  (Spinster Mail-Order Brides – Book Thirty)

  Copyright ©2020 by Cheryl Wright

  Cover Artist: Black Widow Books

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book

  Thanks

  Thanks to my very dear friend and author, Margaret Tanner for her enduring encouragement and friendship. Thanks also to Alan, my husband of over 45 years, who has been a relentless supporter of my writing for many years.

  And last, but by no means least, thank you to all my wonderful readers who encourage me to continue writing these stories. It is such a joy to me knowing so many of you enjoy reading my stories. I love writing them as much as you love reading them.

  Dedication

  To my darling dad in heaven, this book is dedicated to you.

  It was you who told me you don’t have to be cruel to break a horse,

  that you can do it even better with kindness.

  You were right.

  Table of Contents

  A Horse Wrangler for Christmas

  Copyright

  Thanks

  Dedication

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Epilogue

  The End

  From the Author

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Denver, Colorado

  November 1880

  Fire burning in his eyes, the Palomino stared down Meredith Caldwell, but she was not going to be the first to look away. She held the halter tightly, determined she would finally succeed in getting it over the horse’s head. He was obstinate, but she was even more resolute. She slowly lifted her hands and he threw his head back and whinnied.

  It was too late. She’d waited too long and the moment was lost. He suddenly reared up on his hind legs, and she had to back off or risk being injured.

  They’d done this before. Several times now. But she was patient, always had been, especially when it came to horses. It was the reason ranchers came to her when they needed their horses broken or trained. Everyone said she was the best.

  Pa said she was too, and if he said it, she had to believe it.

  She glanced back over her shoulder to see five cowpokes watching her. Their gaze was so intense, it burned a hole in her back. “He’s frisky, that one,” Old George commented from behind the fence.

  “You better believe it,” Meredith called back as she jumped the fence. “Don’t let me see any one alone with that fella. He’s big and strong, and could injure any one of us without warning.” She threw the halter over her shoulder and headed toward the barn.

  It surprised her the men were still around. Since Pa had died suddenly only weeks ago, she’d been given notice to clear out. Pa hadn’t said a word about the bank being down his throat. Little did she know he was on the verge of bankruptcy. He’d carried on as though nothing was wrong. She was still upset about his death, but the loss of the ranch also cut through her heart.

  She watched the horse burn off his aggression as he stormed around the paddock. Soon he would calm down and she’d be able to bring him into the barn. Every day it was the same. It didn’t seem that way right now, but he was a gentle giant. He even let her groom him. It was the halter he didn’t like.

  What would Pa do? The question had her shaking her head. The answer was simple – he would do exactly what she’d been doing.

  She turned at the sound of shuffling feet behind her. “He’ll come round. They always do.” Old George was right. He knew horses better than she did – he’d been training them since before she was born. “I’m going to miss you,” he said, his voice cracking.

  She swallowed down the emotion that had been eating at her for weeks. “I’m going to miss you too. And all of this.” She spread her arms wide and glanced about the barn. She’d grown up in this barn.

  From the time she was old enough to ride, she’d just about lived in this old building. Pa had made sure she was comfortable here, despite ma’s protests. She could still hear her ma’s words. She’s too little to be doin’ that stuff. She ain’t one of your cowpokes. The thought brought tears to her eyes. She’d had no idea that at twenty-eight, she would be an orphan. Nor did she think she would be a spinster.

  “I don’t want you to leave,” Old George said quietly. Everyone called him Old George, and if she recalled correctly, Meredith had always called him that, despite him being relatively young at her first memory. The thing was, he was the oldest cowpoke her pa had at the time, and the name just stuck.

  She swiped at the tears that threatened to fall. “I don’t want to leave either, but the bank gave me no choice. The new owners will be here before we know it. I want that stubborn Palomino broke before I leave.”

  “If anyone can do it, you can.”

  She nodded. If she tried to speak again, Meredith knew she would break down. The last thing she wanted to do was leave this place. She was born and raised here and loved it. Never in her wildest dreams did she believe she’d be forced to leave something she loved so much. Nor did she ever think she’d have no choice but to become a mail-order bride.

  ~*~

  Jordanville, Montana

  Daniel Peterson hugged his coffee as he stared at the sunrise. It wouldn’t be long and his bride would arrive. He wondered what she would be like. His was a busy ranch, and he had no time for tomfoolery. She was said to be able to cook and keep house, and that was all he needed. Since her situation was urgent, there was no time to exchange correspondence, and everything was done via a marriage broker. That meant he really had no idea what he was getting himself into.

  He sighed. He didn’t even know what she looked like. His one hope was she was easy on the eyes. His friend Joe had sent away for a mail-order bride and she was nothing like she’d told him. In fact she was a hag according to Joe, and he wanted to send her back. But given time, he grew to love her. After all, a woman couldn’t help the way she looked. Especially if she’d lived a difficult life.

  He wished he had a photograph of Meredith Caldwell. She was due to arrive in a few days according to the telegram he’d received. The house was not in top shape since he was always busy with the ranch. It was the sole reason he’d sent for a mail-order bride. All he wanted was a housekeeper, but the ridiculous rules about propriety kept him from arranging such a thing. So marriage it was.

  With his business growing as rapidly as it was, he would soon have to hire more cowpokes. He’d had quite a few, but not all of them had worked out. “When you advertise with specific needs, you expect to get them. Right?” He was tempted to answer his own question but felt it was bad enough he talked to himself.

  Daniel tossed the remainder of his coffee onto the dead garden bed. Perhaps Meredith might fix that up too. He couldn’t remember the last time he had homegrown vegetables. Or even home cooking. He really hoped she hadn’t lied about that. He was thoroughly sick of canned beans.

  He pulled on his boots and reached for his hat. Misty would be waiting patiently for him in the barn by now. He loved this time of day – it was peaceful when no one else was around.
He loved to watch the sunrise too. It reminded him he was alive for another day. Every morning he thanked the good Lord for yet another day here on earth.

  It had never occurred to him to check that his bride was a Christian. Darn it, that was a definite requirement. He would soon find out.

  “Hey Boss,” Colt called from the bunkhouse. He threw his cigarette down and stomped it out. “We still chasing them mustangs today?”

  “Sure are,” Daniel told him. “The army won’t wait for their order to be filled. They’ll find another supplier, then we’ll all be out of a job.” He stared the cowboy down. Some of them were bone lazy, but they were all he could get. Colt wasn’t quite so bad as some of the others, but if there was a way to avoid work, he’d definitely find it.

  “I’ll go rouse them other boys up. They was still sound asleep when I left.”

  Daniel frowned. What was wrong with them? He paid them good money and expected a full day’s work in return. There were so many things he wanted for his ranch, but the biggest one was good workers to support him. He watched Colt head back to the bunkhouse as he continued onto the barn.

  Snatching up a bag of oats as he went, he moved quietly toward Misty. She was a good horse, but sometimes she startled easily. Especially first thing in the morning. Opening the door to her stall, he tipped the oats into a trough and filled up her water. She nuzzled her nose into his shoulder, as she did each and every morning. “Hello Misty,” he said quietly, then rubbed her head.

  “We’re off on a long trip today, girl,” he told the horse. “Have yourself a good feed, then we’ll be off.” As if she understood every word, Misty shoved her mouth down into the oats. While he waited, Daniel checked out the equipment as he did every day, the saddle and saddle blanket especially. He looked after his horses and didn’t allow them to be injured by his hand.

  By the time Misty was ready and saddled, the cowpokes were finally waiting out front of the ranch house for him. About time too. If there was one thing Daniel couldn’t abide, it was tardiness. Well, that and laziness. He expected the same high standard of his workers that he imposed on himself, except sadly, they didn’t comply.

  “Morning men,” he said as he led Misty outside. “Everyone ready to go?” All he got in return was a series of grunts.

  Of course there was always at least one straggler, and when he glanced toward the bunkhouse, Angus came running outside, pulling up his breeches. Daniel shook his head. He really needed some decent workers.

  With everyone finally assembled, they headed toward the back paddock. He’d spotted mustangs there only yesterday, but was alone and unable to round them up. His property was almost a thousand acres, with plenty of room for mustangs to roam free. He not only liked it, he encouraged it – it made it far easier for them to be rounded up when the time came.

  With only three workers and himself, today wouldn’t be easy. With a firm order from the army looming, today needed to go smoothly, but with the fools accompanying him, Daniel very much doubted it would.

  ~*~

  Meredith had little to pack. She’d lived on this ranch all her life and had wanted for nothing.

  Oh, she didn’t have all the worldly goods most of the townsfolk had. She had her one gown that she wore to church on Sundays, and she had a beautiful bonnet to match. It was a gift from Old George on her twenty-first birthday. He was one of the few people who had remembered. It had slipped Pa’s mind. He was never one for frivolities, as he called it.

  Darned if she didn’t miss him. She wiped a stray tear from her cheek and got on with the job at hand.

  What she had was the love of the people who surrounded her, and now she had to leave them all behind. What would happen to them now, she didn’t know, but they’d assured her, especially Old George, they’d be fine. They were survivors and they would get through this, just as she would.

  She glanced at the clock – the one her ma had given her not long before she’d passed. Meredith swiped at her face again. She wasn’t one for tears, or for emotions, but today was the end of everything she’d ever known. What she would find at the other end was anyone’s guess.

  Old George tapped on her bedroom door. “Ready? You don’t want to miss the stagecoach – they don’t wait for no one.” She studied him. His eyes were brimming with tears, not that the old cowboy would admit it. It started her off again. She was going to miss him more than anyone else. Old George had been there for Meredith’s entire life. Heck, he’d taught her to ride.

  Well, Pa took the credit for it, but they both knew who really did it.

  She snapped the trunk shut and took a deep shuddering breath, trying to chase the demons away. The only thing she knew about her husband-to-be was he had a ranch quite a way out of town. That was it. To be fair, all he knew about her was her pa had died and the ranch was being sold out from under her. It all happened far too quickly, and the marriage broker moved everything forward. Just as well since the bank sold the ranch much quicker than anyone had imagined they would.

  Old George swooped in and grabbed her trunk, saying not a word. She followed him out to the buggy where the cowpokes were all lined up waiting. She swallowed back her emotions. It would be far easier to just walk away without a word, but that wasn’t how they worked. They were family, always had been, always will be, even if they were thousands of miles apart.

  They each hugged her, and she went to climb up onto the buddy. “Wait,” she said, her voice breaking. “There’s something I have to do before I go.” She glanced up at Old George. He could read her like a book, and would know exactly what she was up to.

  She rushed over to the paddock fence, and there he was. The beautiful Palomino. She’d finally broken him, with only days to spare. She’d named him Spirit, because he had far more spirit than she’d come across before. If only she could take him with her, but she couldn’t. What would her husband-to-be think of her arriving with a horse in tow?

  Spirit stared at her then whinnied. Did he know she was leaving him? It near broke her heart. Almost as much as leaving the ranch. She outstretched her hand and he pranced over, shoving his nose into her shoulder as he’d done so many times before. “Goodbye Spirit,” she said, holding back a sob. Her arms went up around his neck, and as though he understood, he rubbed his head against her cheek, then ran off.

  She stared after him. How could she leave? This ranch was her life, these people were her life. But Meredith knew she had little choice. The new owners would move in tomorrow, and she had to be gone. At least they were keeping the cowpokes, so she knew they’d have a job.

  “It’s time,” Old George called out, and her heart pounded. It really was the end of the line. She climbed up onto the buggy with dread in her heart. She only hoped her husband-to-be was a decent man. Someone who would come to love her, and she to love him, but she resolved herself to the fact she was more likely to be walking into a loveless marriage.

  As they made their way down the long drive, Meredith couldn’t bring herself to look back.

  Chapter Two

  Daniel spent the best part of the morning making the house presentable. Not that he had time for such things – he had an order to fulfil. He hoped the stagecoach was on time so he wasn’t held up longer than necessary. He prepared the buggy and was finally ready to meet his bride.

  All sorts of misgivings filled his head as he drove into town. Could she cook? Was she a good housekeeper? Did she like animals? Despite the reason he’d applied for a mail-order bride being the first two, for some reason the last seemed the most important.

  He shook himself mentally. Surely she liked animals. He knew so little about her, not much more than the bank took her pa’s property shortly after he died. That had to be hard. Banks didn’t care about people – the only thing they cared about was money.

  The stagecoach arrived just as he hit town. Either he’d dawdled or the stage was early. Most likely the former. He’d been trying to talk himself into this for days. Ordering a bride sight unseen w
as a dangerous thing to do. What if she was a hag like the wife of his friend Joe? He hated to think.

  He parked the buggy and pulled on the brake, then leaned back and sighed. “Time to do this,” he told himself firmly, then climbed down off the buggy. Passengers were already alighting but he didn’t see anyone who might fit the bill of a mail-order bride. Then again, what did a mail-order bride look like? Hopefully young and pretty.

  Mr Somers was there to meet his wife, and Patsy Green was met by her husband. There was a cowboy slouching around, and old Mr Hanson. He’d gone to the big city for business. Where was his bride?

  The driver handed down the luggage, and everyone dispersed. Except the young cowboy. Was he looking for work? Daniel glanced inside the stagecoach. Nope, everyone was out. Perhaps she’d missed it.

  He pulled off his hat and ran his fingers through his black hair. “Hey,” he called to the driver. “I’m supposed to meet a Miss Meredith Caldwell.”

  The driver grinned and pointed. Daniel followed the direction of his hand and his heart sank. That was Meredith Caldwell? Surely not.

  “That’s her trunk, right there.” He smirked and went into the depot.

  Daniel straightened his shoulders and prepared for what lay ahead. He slowly walked toward the skinny cowboy. His mouth was suddenly dry and felt like sandpaper. “Meredith Caldwell?” His heart pounded. This was his new wife?

  She turned around slowly, then looked him up and down. She gazed at him for the longest time, her intense eyes staring him down. “Who are you?” she demanded, and pulled the well-worn Stetson off her head. Her messy brown hair cascaded down her back. “Damn it,” she said like a seasoned cowpoke. He couldn’t help but grin.